TIL watering my fern from the bottom made a bigger difference than I thought

I've been top-watering this Boston fern for about 6 months and it kept dropping leaves no matter what I did. On a whim last Sunday, I set the pot in a saucer of water for 20 minutes instead. The soil soaked up way more evenly and now there's new growth at the center I never saw before. Has anyone else had a plant react that differently to just changing how you water it?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimblack12d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah "dropping leaves no matter what I did" is exactly where I was with my maidenhair fern before I tried the bottom watering thing. It makes so much sense when you think about it because top watering creates these dry pockets in the soil that the roots just hate. Glad you saw new growth so fast, that center sprout is basically the fern telling you it finally got a proper drink.

juliaa6512d ago

Bottom watering really does feel like the secret handshake of fern ownership once you figure it out, doesn't it? I had the same exact struggle with mine dropping fronds left and right until I switched methods, and it was like night and day. It's such a relief when you finally see that new growth popping up, like the plant is finally forgiving you for all the dry soil mistakes.

carr.luna12d ago

I read somewhere that ferns have shallow root systems that get easily stressed by uneven moisture, which explains why bottom watering works so well for them. @kimblack totally nailed it about those dry pockets from top watering being the main culprit.